Out There
by Booksong
Summary: Sokka/Suki--A tale of Suki's imprisonment, and the lengths that the warrior called Sokka will go to in order to break her out.
1. Chapter 1

This is my first ever Avatar fanfic. The events take place after The Day of Black Sun, but deviate from canon. There are no post-DoBS spoilers. Shipping is Sukka. Please read and review, it makes me happy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these amazing characters, Mark and Brian do. I just have the honor of writing about them.

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Chapter 1

There was hardly enough sunlight streaming through the bars of the dungeon to create sunstripes on the dirt floor. And what light did penetrate somehow just made it gloomier, as if reminding its occupant of what she could no longer have.

At first glance she could be mistaken for a heap of old laundry someone had decided to toss in a corner, but her form rose and fell with her breathing. Still, she was such a far cry from her former self she was almost glad her fellow warriors could not see her.

_I used to be Suki, the Kyoshi Warrior. Now I'm just one more prisoner._

That thought came too often for her liking, but it was too true to resist. She looked at her clothing, not really seeing it. She was dressed in nothing but cloth rags that had once been white, but were now stained with dirt. No more sleek green tunic, with the insignia for honor on the sleeve in gold thread, and the slim sheaths for her fans in the wrists…

_Stop it!_

As if someone had answered her wish for a distraction from her thoughts, the voices of two guards swelled abruptly not too far away. Immediately, Suki scooted sideways across the dirt floor and leaned up again the bars. It was uncomfortable, especially when she had to do it casually and subtly enough that the guards didn't suspect. But it was worth it, if she got to eavesdrop. She closed her eyes, long since cleaned of their dark makeup, and pretended to be sleeping.

"I still can't quite believe it, Chun…"

"You've been saying that for days now Shan, it's getting annoying."

"But for a force so small to penetrate that far…!"

Suki's eyes nearly flew open, but she caught herself in time. She couldn't stop her blood from surging with sudden excitement, though. It was as she had hoped; the guards were discussing their favorite topic, the invasion. She guessed they probably had little else to do; the other prisoners were all quiet except for an occasional snore, whimper, or sigh. They were so beaten and dejected that the guards had lost interest in tormenting them as well, and unless the bored wardens wanted to discuss the Admiral's new hairstyle or the fall of Ba Sing Se's walls, which were old news by now, it was the invasion they talked about. But up until now, Suki had caught only snatches of words and phrases from conversations.

She knew Aang was alive. The dungeon would have looked like an overturned anthill if the Avatar had been killed or imprisoned. For that information she was immensely grateful. She had nearly gone mad that day, thinking of what might be happening as guards dashed past yelling to each other about the capital being breached. The second she had heard, she had known. There was no one else who would ever have attempted such a thing, no one but Aang.

Now she strained her ears to the two guards talking.

"So many rumors are flying around about what happened…I wish I had been there on the front lines," said the one named Shan, who had jet black hair and was fairly young.

The other one, an older veteran named Chun, was less naïve. "I don't wish any such thing. I've heard reports from the generals themselves, it was madness. They say they saw the whole force swarming up to the capital, and they had machinery even we've never heard of! Our airships saw them off, as you know, but it was closer than anyone liked to admit."

"So, it's true! They were all there, weren't they? The Avatar and his group?" Shan's eyes were bright with excitement.

Chun nodded wisely. "I should say so. It's strange, they actually lost sight of the Avatar himself for a while, but his other close cohorts were certainly there. That waterbender girl caused absolute chaos on the guard towers…and the soldiers on the front lines admitted that they nearly broke ranks when the Avatar's bison came through the gates, especially with that warrior boy astride him."

Suki tensed, every muscle in her body going taut with remembered reflex from her days as a Kyoshi Warrior. She was barely breathing now, afraid she'd miss something. This was more information than she'd ever dared hope for. But even as her ears strained, her brain was racing.

_Of course they wouldn't know his name, they're just simple guards. But that description is enough…warrior boy…on Appa. There's no one else Aang would trust with him in battle, it has to be, please let it be…_

She couldn't, _wouldn't_ say the name. She was done speaking it, it was just too hard. When she had first arrived, she had uttered it all the time, first softly, then louder, until she was shouting the name aloud to the whole dungeon, in sheer desperation. As if he would spring from the shadows and smash one of the guards, so she could leap free and join him, back to back, scything a path through the wardens together.

Even after she had been securely locked in one of the single cells, and the other Kyoshi Warriors imprisoned around her, she had kept on whispering his name to herself, almost like a charm of protection. Sometimes she would say the name of her best friend, Nali, who was in a cell several down from her. Sometimes Nali had responded to her weak calls, but now the Kyoshi deputy spoke less and less. But it was usually _his_ name, and Suki was sure she said it in her dreams too. It had become something almost unconscious. But now she had promised herself she would stop. It hurt too much, and besides, she wasn't that weak. She didn't need to rely on anyone that much, it wasn't in her nature as a Kyoshi Warrior.

So now she just said, "him" whenever she thought about him. And that wasn't much either. She had begun to keep herself on a tight mental leash as far as he was concerned. But sometimes late at night, when she was having trouble sleeping on the hard earth floor, she would let her memories wander back. Those were the moments of true escape. If she tried hard, she could still see the misty glow of moonlight, and feel the hard stone beneath her feet, and hear the indignant note that made his voice go up several octaves, "Is he _taller_ than me? Is he better looking?" And then she could actually smile, though it was a pained, sad smile. She didn't dare remember anything past that night, however. Because the next morning was…_that_ day. The last day she had ever seen him. The day they had ki-

_No!_

She brought herself up short and forced herself to turn her attention back to the conversation. But her heart was thrumming now, because if the soldiers had seen him at the invasion, that meant he was alive.

But the guards were moving away now, still chatting as they went. The young guard Shan was still spouting rapid questions. "Is it true they had tanks, moved by earthbenders? And that some of them actually got inside the underground palace to try and find the Fire Lord himself?"

"Rumors," scoffed Chun. But he leaned close, as if imparting a great secret. "They did say they lost track of the earthbending girl and the warrior boy for a while. There could be some truth to it."

And then they passed out of sight and out of earshot. Suki let go a shuddering sigh and slumped back against the wall. Her mind was spinning. _He was alive. He tried to find the Fire Lord…!_ Her first emotion was anger at his rashness, followed by affectionate pride at his bravery. And she wished she could have been there to see him ride Appa into battle, it would have been a sight to behold…

She looked up to the barred window set high up in the stone wall. Not for the first time she wished she was an earthbender. It would be the work of seconds to bust herself out, and then she wouldn't have to lie here thinking weak thoughts about waiting helplessly for rescue. Now, with the new information, it was much harder not to think about _him._

Suddenly, there was someone outside her cell. Her head jerked up involuntarily, but it was only Yana. Suki relaxed. Yana brought the prisoners their meager food everyday, and she was not someone to be feared. She was a kindly, stooped woman of middle-age with brown hair tied back in a traditional bun. She had amiable eyes, and had never said a harsh word to any prisoner. In fact, she usually had a pitying smile for Suki, though she was careful to do it when no guards were around.

Suki forced herself to return Yana's smile, though she hardly felt like it, and accepted the bowl of mealy mush that was her ration. She lowered her head to begin eating, since their short exchange was over. But after a few moments of scooping up the tasteless goop, she became aware that Yana had not left. The woman was still standing there, but now she had a piece of parchment clutched in her fist that Suki hadn't noticed.

With a furtive, almost fearful glance around the dungeon, Yana bent suddenly over and thrust the parchment through the bars. In a hurried whisper, she said, "At every battle, no matter how unexpected, there is a royal artist. The Fire Lord likes his victories captured for later generations. I managed to take this one…don't let anyone know you have it!" Yana paused, and then said in an even softer voice, "I've heard you saying his name at night, and I guessed. There are days I can't bear to be in this place…" She trailed off, looking pained. At the sound of approaching footsteps, Yana breathed, "Goodbye!" and paced quickly away.

Suki waited until the dungeon was completely clear of all guards, and then withdrew the tattered parchment from where she had stuffed it under her rags. With trembling fingers, she unfolded it, somehow knowing what she would see. But it didn't prepare her any better.

It was a masterfully done drawing, she admitted that. The black brushstrokes were smooth and beautiful, capturing movement and detail perfectly. The painting was of Appa, tossing his head and roaring at the advancing Fire Nation soldiers. On his back was the clear silhouette of a wolf…no, someone with a helmet modeled after a wolf, with pointed ears and low slung skull. That person was holding a sword pointed forward, pointing to the Fire Nation soldiers in fierce defiance.

Suki almost crumpled the drawing. It was him…so brave and warrior-like that he took her breath away, even in drawing. But it hurt so much to see him like that, and know that she was stuck here in this stupid prison when she should be out there, helping him and Aang and Katara fight for freedom. She was a warrior too, a Kyoshi Warrior. And nothing could be more frustrating than being unable to fight when there was plenty to fight for. _And people to fight with…_

She closed her eyes, giving in to rare tears. Sometimes it just seemed so incredibly hopeless…

Unable to bear it anymore, she clutched the drawing to her chest and pressed her face to it, keeping her sobs silent so as not to attract attention. And she allowed herself to do the thing she had promised not to do, just as a light in the darkness. She said it. It could have been a blessing or a curse, a charm or a swearword, the way she said it.

_Sokka. _

And then she heard wingbeats.


	2. Chapter 2

I hope you're liking the story. And if you're a fan like me, you'll be counting down the days until the finale. July 19th everyone!! Anyway, there is a change of perspective in this chapter...so read on!

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Chapter 2

**THREE DAYS EARLIER**

Sokka muttered softly under his breath as he scrubbed viciously at the flat of his boomerang with the edge of his shirt. There was an extremely stubborn bit of grime smearing its perfect shiny surface, and he had been working at it for what seemed like hours. Not for the first time, he wondered if Toph's formidable earthbending skills extended to bits of dirt on things, but he wasn't about to ask her. She was several hundred feet away working with Aang on a complex earthbending move, and if he interrupted her now, she'd probably bend him into the ground with only his head showing and leave him there overnight. If he was lucky.

So, with renewed vigor and several hissed curses about stupid dirt spots, he went to work again. He was a man…no, a warrior. And warriors, if they wanted to protect their reputations, did not allow themselves to be beaten by grime spots.

Just then, Katara's mildly interested voice drifted over to him, "Hey Sokka, I think your hawk's back."

"Really?!" Sokka forgot all about dirt spots and his boomerang as he shot upright, letting the weapon clatter to the ground. He was momentarily surprised when his cry of delight was echoed by Toph, who dropped the rock she had been holding aloft with a thunderous CRASH. Aang whipped off his blindfold at the noise, looking around nervously.

It was then that Sokka remembered exactly what errand Hawky had been on; delivering a letter to Toph's parents. He was amazed; he had never seen her this excited about anything.

There was a gust of breeze above him, and Hawky, seeing no convenient arm to perch on, settled on Sokka's head. His claws felt none too comfortable, so Sokka quickly transferred the Fire Nation messenger bird to his wrist. Hawky cocked his head as if he was trying to remember Sokka's face, and then nipped his thumb, hard.

"OW!" Sokka winced, and then forced a smile at the bird. "It's okay Hawky. It was a love bite, wasn't it?"

He could hear Katara snickering slightly from over on Appa. He glared in her general direction, and then stroked Hawky's back. "They're just jealous that you're so pretty and awesome Hawky.." he crooned, lapsing unknowingly into the baby talk he used on the bird.

"Did he bring anything back?" Toph asked. Her excitement had taken away the tough, fierce look on her face for the moment.

"Don't rush him," Sokka said in an indignant voice. "He just got back from his long trip…he needs to recover, don't you Hawky?"

Toph snorted, sounding more like her old self. "He can rest after he gives me my answer. Lemme see him."

She reached up and uncapped the message tube strapped to the hawk's back. Inside was a very thin piece of paper, coiled tight. With her sensitive fingers, Toph withdrew the message, her eyes wide with anticipation. Katara and Aang came up behind them, looking interested. "Do you want me to read it for you, Toph?" she offered kindly.

Toph passed over the paper to Katara and stood with her misty eyes staring off into the distance as she waited for Katara to read aloud.

Katara unrolled the parchment and read clearly,

_Dearest daughter,_

_Your mother and I were worried sick when you didn't come home, and when the men we hired to find you were found trapped in a crushed steel box (it was very strange). I must admit, though we are very angry with you for running away, it was good to know you are alive at least. I assume you are with the Avatar, or you would not have been able to have someone write your letter for you. I hope you are being careful; in times like these, you are in possibly the most dangerous company you could be in. And spirits know why the letter you sent arrived with a Fire Nation hawk! I had to stop the guards from shooting it down on sight, and it caused a stir in the village. Your mother and I still can't help feeling worried about our poor, blind daughter out there in the world, but there is nothing we can do now, except tell you stay safe and wait for you to return._

_Your loving father,_

_Zhian Bei-Fong_

"That's it," Katara announced, rolling up the message carefully.

Toph was smiling slightly. "About the best I could hope for, I guess. Looks like they still haven't grasped the fact that I can take care of myself yet, but there's hope."

Sokka was still crooning to the bird, "You did such a good job Hawky, you're such a good messenger hawk, yes you are…"

"Hey Sokka, now that he's back, where are you going to send him next? Is there anyone else we need to talk to?" Aang asked.

"Aang, you are so inconsiderate!" Sokka glared at the Avatar. "Hawky just got back, and all you can think about is sending him back into the cold, lonely world…"

"Sokka, it's bright and sunny out. I would hardly say it's 'cold'", Katara pointed out.

"Well….still!" Sokka blustered. "Who do we need to talk to so urgently? Who would we even _want_ to talk to? This is the Fire Nation, there's no one here we know!"

"There is someone who might be here," Katara said suddenly, her eyes lighting up. She gave Sokka such a sad and serious look that he stopped being indignant over Hawky and stared at her. "Who?" he asked, genuinely curious. Toph and Aang looked at each nervously, as if they too knew who Katara had in mind.

Sokka's sister scuffed at the ground with one foot, looking subdued and reluctant. "Well…you know," she said quietly, avoiding his eyes.

"No, I don't. Who?" Sokka was starting to get frustrated.

_"Sokka."_ Toph gave him a look that said he was being incredibly dense. But her voice actually sounded gentle as she said it.

"_Her._ Your…girlfriend. Suki."

Something inside him seemed to evaporate, crumple up and shatter. His mind lurched backwards involuntarily, back to a room in a dimly lit tunnel, his face inches away from a dangerously beautiful one. Tears were scalding hot on his face, and there was a lump of pure fury in his chest, leaving no room for any other feeling. He heard his own voice out of the past, as if from far away.

"Where…is…SUKI?"

"Sokka?" Katara's tentative voice broke him out of his sudden remembrance. Sokka raised his hand to his eyes and found that they were wet again. He looked at the ground quickly to hide them.

The truth was, he had always known. Ever since the moment when he had had enough time to stop and wonder why Azula and her cohorts had Kyoshi uniforms. Ever since he had made the deadly, painful connection that almost broke him inside, while Aang had been unconscious in a coma. There had been so much to worry about, so he had hidden his pain from the others. He did not want fussing and crying and comforting. It made him feel even worse. But he had held his own private memorial for her inside him, he had done all his mourning from within, because that was what a warrior did. He had felt he must stay strong for Katara, for Aang, even for Toph. And bit by bit, the tension of preparing for the invasion had distracted him from his pain, from having to contemplate the awful truth that Suki, the warrior who had taught him so much, the warrior he had just begun to truly know and love, was gone.

And then, all that had changed at the moment he had least expected it. Right smack in the middle of all the chaos of the invasion, one cruel, taunting sentence had stopped him in his tracks.

"_My favorite prisoner used to talk about you all the time. She seemed to think you were coming to rescue her, but she gave up on you in the end…"_

And a whole new world of fury and possibility had opened before him. She wasn't dead, she was somewhere, and Azula knew where. That single thought had blotted out every other thing until it blinded him. He had always scoffed at the way people always seemed to get all mushy about love. He had never understood Aang's need to get that stupid panda lily flower from a volcano, or why Katara had gotten so worked up over Aunt Wu's predictions. Even his time with Yue had been too short for him to appreciate what it was to be truly in love with someone. But when Azula had said that, he had lost control. He had never felt like that before in his life.

Now, with the eyes of Aang, Katara, and Toph lingering on him with concern and sorrow, he lifted his head and looked at Hawky. The messenger bird was preening absently, completely unaware of his pained thoughts and memories. Of course, Hawky could never find Suki. There was a huge difference between finding a rich family in the Earth Kingdom, and finding a single prisoner in a hostile Fire Nation prison. Besides, they would never let a messenger bird get close…

_Or would they?_

It was, after all, a Fire Nation prison. What would look amiss about one of their own messenger hawks swooping around the area? And Sokka had every faith in his bird's intelligence.

It was the only chance he had, no matter how incredibly slim.

"I've got to write a letter," he told the other three, and without any other explanation, he turned and went to Appa, Hawky still riding on his shoulder. He rummaged in the saddle pack until he found a piece of paper, and then a thin writing brush. He wasted three sheets because he blotted the ink in his rush. Finally, he had a letter. He stood up so fast and with such determination that the bird was nearly thrown from his shoulder. Twisting around, he worked the letter into the tube with the utmost care, speaking under his breath as he did so.

"Listen Hawky, I know you just got back, but this is urgent. I need you to find Suki…got that? Find Suki. I don't know where she is, but she's in a prison somewhere. A prison, a dark, scary building with a lot of guards and bars on the windows. Suki's this girl, and she has brown hair, and she's really pretty…" He trailed off, and then shook himself. "Just try to find her, okay Hawky? Just try…for me."

The messenger bird cocked his head and made a soft croaking noise that might have been an answer. Then he took off in a flurry of wings. Across the camp, Toph, Aang, and Katara followed his progress, and then looked at Sokka sympathetically. Sokka didn't notice. His eyes watched Hawky until he was a brown speck in the clear sky, and then was gone.

Then, with slow, painful steps, he walked back to his spot next to the boulder, picked up his fallen boomerang, and started to absently clean it on his shirt again, his thoughts somewhere else entirely.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for the reviews so far! Back to the present now...assume that this follows directly after Chapter 1.

Again, I don't own anything from the Avatarverse except things you don't recognize. (If that made sense...)

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Chapter 3

Suki leaped away from the window in shock as something fluttered down outside. She took a few deep breaths, and then almost laughed at herself. Some Kyoshi Warrior!

A small, sleek brown hawk of the kind used by the Fire Nation for sending messages was sitting on the ledge of her barred window. It cocked its head and looked down at her with intelligent, beady black eyes.

Even though it was Fire Nation, it looked so innocent that Suki edged closer to the window and spoke quietly. "Hi there. Why are you over here? Shouldn't you be delivering something to one of the guards?"

The bird tipped its head to the other side, as if considering her. It looked so comical that Suki had to giggle softly.

"You'll get in trouble if they find you over here," she said more soberly. "They might think you're trying to bring me a message or something."

The hawk poked its thin hooked beak through the thin spaces between bars as if trying to force its head inside. It shuffled its wings in agitation and rapped its beak against the bars a few times, producing a soft clanging. Suki looked around fearfully.

"Shhhhh!" she hissed at the hawk. "If they find you over here, I'll probably get in more trouble than you will! What are you doing, you dumb bird?"

The bird squawked softly, and then scratched its claws along the stone windowsill in a gesture remarkably like a frustrated person scuffing the ground. Then it twisted its head around on its thin neck as far as it would go, and nipped at the leather strap binding the message tube on its back. A few sharp pecks and the leather snapped, leaving the tube dangling lopsidedly. Suki watched in total amazement as the hawk snipped the other strap with its curved beak, severing the message tube completely. With a soft flump, the tube tumbled though the gap between the window bars and landed on the stone floor of the cell. The hawk ruffled its feathers, looking smugly pleased with itself, and then took off in a quiet flutter of wings. Suki stared after it, wondering suddenly if she was in the middle of a very strange dream.

Looking around the dungeon to make sure no guards were wandering by, she dived for the tube, tucking it quickly in the folds of her ragged prison clothing. The hard, solid feel of the cylinder pressed against her chest told her that this was no dream.

Turning her back to the front of her cell, she unscrewed the cap of the tube with as much excited trepidation as she had unrolled the drawing Yana had given her. In fact, the coiled roll of paper inside looked a lot like the drawing. She slid it out, catching as she did so the characters that spelled her name peeking out in stark black ink.

_Dear __Suki,_

Footsteps sounded on the stone behind her. Suki panicked, very nearly dropping the tube, but instead shoved the message underneath her and kneeled over it, letting the dirty folds of her garment hide it. She looked up into the face she least wanted to see at that moment.

Lieutenant Wei was the captain of the guards that patrolled the prison. He had fierce black eyes beneath thick eyebrows, and the lines of his face were permanently drawn into a cruel expression between a scowl and a sneer. While most of the guards were just bored and did not look like they particular enjoyed being jailers, there was an air about Wei that made it seem as if he truly enjoyed his job, along with all the nastiness that went with it. Suki had learned to fear Wei in the time she had been in the prison; it had been he who had smacked her into submission when she had fought the guards tooth and nail after being untied from the collective Kyoshi Warriors bundle that Azula had cruelly bound them into.

"So, girl, enjoying your stay with us?" Wei asked, smiling at her. For some reason, the fact that his teeth were immaculately white made him more repulsive.

Suki did not deign to answer. She may have lost a lot of things when she lost her freedom, but she would never lose the burning spirit of a warrior. She refused to drop her gaze from those piercing dark eyes, fighting him stare for stare.

Lieutenant Wei kept smiling on the outside, but inside he felt a flicker of fury. This girl was clearly one of _those_ types, the kind that were so noble and strong-willed that they never became whipped and hollow-eyed like the rest. It was almost unfortunate, the girl's strong, muscular body would have been useful when the prison gangs were sent out to do labor, but sending out one like this was asking for escape. Too bad, she would most likely have to be disposed of; it created an air of rebellion if too many prisoners got like this.

"Keep staring, girl, for all the good it will do you." And Wei moved on, looking for a prisoner that would react more favorably with cowering and moaning to his presence.

Suki inched backwards across the floor, pulling the message tube with her. When she was in the farthest corner, she drew out the paper again. Without even realizing it, she was holding her breath. Who on earth would have sent her a message here, and with a Fire Nation bird? She knew who she wanted it to be, but that was impossible…

_Dear Suki,_

_I have no idea if you will ever read this. But if you do…well, hello. It's Sokka…wait, you know who I am. Don't you? Wait, this is stupid, I shouldn't be wasting your time…you're in prison. I wish I knew where, because I don't. Wait, you knew that, because I would have already come for you if I did know. Aw man, I'm babbling. In a letter! You know this isn't what I want to say to you, but I'm no good at this stuff. So if you ever do read this…I'm alive. And I hope you are because…well…I really like you. More than that. If you get this, send me something back with Hawky, (my hawk). Please Suki. Well, goodbye._

_Sokka_

Suki knew she never should have used the word impossible in the same thought with him.

She was hardly aware that there were tears on her face, or the fact that her shoulders were shaking with suppressed laughter born of relief. Sokka had written, in his own unique, goofy way. He had found a way, as he always had, to reach her, no matter where she was or how she felt. And then she realized that she had just thought his name. Somehow it didn't hurt anymore.

It took her several moments to get over the sheer happiness of holding the letter. She touched the ink strokes with her finger, knowing that this piece of paper was the closest she'd been to him in weeks.

And then, slowly, her rational warrior's brain took over. Another thought, one so obvious she couldn't believe she hadn't thought of it the moment she'd read the message. She had to send a reply. She had to tell him she was alive. If her pain was terrible, his must be so much worse, thinking Azula had killed her. But she had nothing to write with here. And she couldn't give the message back to the hawk, because the window was too high.

And then the answer came to her. It was an unpleasant one, one she very much wished she could avoid. But if it was Sokka, and possibly freedom, she would do anything.

She picked up the message tube and slid the letter back inside. Then she used the leather harness attached to it to tie it around her waist, underneath the prison rags. She was lucky the rags were so oversized and hung in folds. The overlapping rolls of rough fabric hid the canister hanging at her hip.

And then Suki, the Kyoshi Warrior, prepared to give the greatest, most convincing, and possibly most life-changing performance of her life.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't have the honor of owning anything here except Yana and Lieutenant Wei (who is not exactly an honor to own ;) ).

The Day of the Comet is approaching fast, fellow Avatar fans! July 19th! And in our story, Suki's situation grows more dire...

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Chapter 4

Lieutenant Wei jerked his head up from reading the mound of reports on his desk. The noise that had interrupted him was not an unheard of one, especially in a prison. But it was something he had not heard in a while. It was the sound of sobbing, not soft whimpering or stifled sniffs, but full, unrestrained bawling. He recognized that kind of sound. It was the cry of a prisoner who had finally broken, who had come to terms with the fact that they would spend the rest of their worthless lives in jail. The cry of a shattered spirit, a soul that has given up.

A slow smile spread across his face. If he was hearing correctly, that noise was coming from the best possible cell. He shoved back his chair and strode down the aisle of cells, until he reached the one he wanted. It was just as he had hoped.

To most, the sight of a writhing, pitiful prisoner trembling with sobs, face smeared with tears and dirt, huddled in a ball of misery, would have been heartbreaking. But to the Lieutenant, it brought only a sense of cruel satisfaction. He had been hoping the girl wasn't too stubborn to break. They needed her in the labor fields.

"So," he said calmly to the sobbing Suki, "Have you finally decided to cooperate?"

Suki nodded shakily, her whole body wracked with the hiccupy jerks of someone who cannot stop crying. Then she threw herself flat in front of Wei and dissolved into fresh tears.

"Very good," said the Lieutenant, and reached to his belt for a set of keys, to unlock the cell door.

From her position on the floor, Suki blinked to clear some of the tears, and watched carefully. She was quite proud of her act so far, and she was pleased she had been able to produce fake tears so easily. She had certainly been close enough sometimes to breaking down like this, especially at night where there was nothing to keep her thoughts from wandering to Sokka. But now, the temptation to leap up and tear the keys from Wei's hand was almost too much. But she forced herself to lie still, because the second she tried to bolt, they would have her. There were simply too many guards for her to try and escape alone. So she had to resort to a more subtle method. She wondered if Sokka, who had told her he was official "idea guy" for Aang, would be proud of her. Now there was just final element of the plan before she would be clear, and it was going to be the hardest to take as a warrior.

Wei had one final test he always conferred on these "broken spirits". It was the true measure of how much this "noble" prisoner had fallen.

Slowly, insolently, the Lieutenant sauntered forward, jingling the keys in his hand. He surveyed the trembling heap that was Suki, and then very deliberately kicked her, hard.

Suki felt the heavy boot hook under her ribs and lift her body several inches into the air. She came down hard, the breath rushing out of her body, but she rolled slightly so she didn't come down too hard on anything. It actually hadn't been as painful as she had anticipated. The hardest thing to suppress was the ferocious desire to fight back, the warrior's instinct that surged up and demanded that she punish this awful, grinning man who had dared strike a warrior of Kyoshi. It went against her nature. But she forced herself to crumple and pretend to moan with pain and defeat.

Wei felt triumphant. She was well and truly shattered, perfect now for the labor gang that moved rocks from one of the nearby fields to clear it for farming. "All right, you miserable girl." He picked her up by the back of her garment and half-dragged her from the cell. Suki gave a few more sobs to keep up the realism of the act. But inwardly, she felt a surge of satisfaction. She was going outside. Not to flee, not to escape as she had so often dreamed. Just to find that slim brown hawk and send a reply, just to let Sokka know she was alive. That was most important right now.

As she was roughly dragged to the center of the prison courtyard and shoved into line next to other emaciated prisoners, a bored looking guard came up and locked shackles around her ankles, but left her hands free for working. Suki shivered involuntarily at the cold, chafing steel against her skin. She took a quick look up the line of prisoners and breathed a quiet sigh of relief when she saw that none of her fellow warriors were there. Somehow, though she was finally out in the fresh air, she felt more like a prisoner than ever. She didn't dare take a deep, delighted breath of clean breeze, or turn her face toward the sunlight; that wasn't something a broken prisoner would do. She kept her head down, and sobbed once in a while for good measure. Once, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Yana pass carrying the bowls of mush. The woman stopped still when she saw Suki, and the Kyoshi Warrior felt a stab of guilt as she saw the look of pure horror that crossed the kind guard's face.

Yana shook her head, looking like she might cry, and shuffled onward, not able to bear the sight of her favorite prisoner broken at last. She had had so much hope that the brave young woman might stay strong, perhaps even escape someday. It was awful to see such a bold spirit shattered by the cruel Wei.

Suki was distracted by a hard jerk on the chain that made her almost fall over. The line of laborers was moving. Suki surreptitiously reached under her clothes to touch the message tube, containing the letter that would also serve as her return paper. She had decided she would write on the back of it.

She kept her head down and made herself shuffle along like the rest of the prisoners. She didn't even dare lift her head to look around, so she stared at the ground and watched the way it changed to gauge where they were. First the stone of the courtyard, then the smooth dirt of the road, then the gravelly, uneven earth of the labor fields. The sharp rock flakes cut her bare feet, but she ignored it. The chain of laborers came to such an abrupt halt that Suki nearly ran into the hunched, bony back of the man in front of her. Another guard, his chin rough with stubble, unhooked her from the line, but left her legs chained together. He gave her a hard push in the direction of a large pile of boulders. "Take those to the edge of the field," he grunted, jerking his head to indicate where. Then he left her there.

Suki picked up her feet tentatively, testing the weight of the chains. They were very heavy, too heavy for her to run with them on. There went her last hope of escaping on her own. In order to look like a dutiful laborer, she stooped down and picked up a rock. Well, tried to pick up a rock. The thing must have weighed nearly fifty pounds. For the hundredth time, Suki envied earthbenders. In prison, it seemed she was surrounded by stone. It would have been the work of seconds to escape then. She could just throw a rock at the guards and run…she shook her head and tried again to lift the rock. This time she managed to heft the huge thing into her arms, and then she wobbled unsteadily to the rockpile where other laborers were mechanically depositing boulders. With a colossal heave, she let her rock go crashing onto the pile. Wiping sweat from her forehead, she risked a glance at the sun. Its heat didn't seem nearly so welcome now. It was almost directly overhead, beating down mercilessly. Suki sighed and headed back for another rock.

It felt like hours that she worked. After a while her legs, arms, and back went numb with the cramping pain of lifting and carrying. The sweat on her arms and palms mixed with the dirt on the rocks to create a sticky brown paste. But she labored on, determined with her warrior's heart, unwilling to let an inanimate object best her.

When she heard the wingbeats again, her brain hardly registered them. It wasn't until something gave a shrill croak not far above her head that she looked up. Hovering in the heat-glazed air was the small form of a messenger hawk, chirruping urgently at her. Waiting for a reply.

It only took a second for the fog of exhaustion to evaporate from her mind. Quickly she scanned around her. All the other prisoners were focused solely on the work, and the guards were talking together over by the rockpile. She had a chance.

Suki whipped out the message tube and unscrewed the cap. She slid out the message, not caring that her sweaty hands stained the parchment. She looked around on the ground, searching for a writing utensil. Her eye fell upon a stick with the tip charred…this was Fire Nation land after all. She snatched it up, pressed the paper blank-side-up against her knee, and wrote as if her life depended on it.

It did.

She didn't waste words. In less than a minute she was done. She rolled up the message, disregarding the tube, and held it up in one fist as high as she could reach. The hawk seemed to understand. It went into a steep dive, and snatched the roll of parchment from her hand in its curved talons. Then it was gone, winging toward the horizon with its lopsided burden distorting its silhouette. Suki sent a silent prayer to the spirits that it would find its way back.

"HEY! GIRL!"

The shout was furious and strident, and Suki whirled in fear. The guards were pounding towards her, faces red with anger. One of them seized her forearm in a crushing grip and yanked her so hard it nearly took her arm out of the socket. Suki once again swallowed the urge to last out and fight. It would only make it worse.

At least, she thought, as the two guards hauled her back towards the prison, her bare feet banging over the rocks, she had managed to accomplish her mission. Sending the reply had been the most important thing.

Through the clear blue sky, a single messenger hawk sailed gracefully. He was unused to carrying messages this way, but it worked all right. Besides, he had the feeling his master was counting on him for this particular mission. Hawky coasted over the hills and forests, heading for the place he had last seen his master. The message he carried in his claws rustled in the breeze. It was a short message, written hastily in smeared black ash, the letters just barely readable. Three lines, the only three lines Suki knew she had needed to write to make Sokka come to her as fast as possible.

_Dear Sokka,_

_I am alive._

_I am in the Ash Bay Prison on the coast._

_I love you._

_Suki_


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** Yeah, yeah, I don't own this stuff, I just want Sukka to happen. :)

**Warning:** There's some minor violence in this chapter, but it's all in context.

Chapter 5

Suki moaned, in true pain this time, as the two guards slammed her up against the stone wall in the courtyard, pinning her there with her bare feet dangling several inches off the ground. She twisted her head, and felt a dull sting of horror. The stone beside her head was flecked with rust-colored drops.

Blood.

This was _not_ a good place. Against her better judgment, she kicked out, hard. She got in a pretty decent blow to a fairly unpleasant spot on one guard, but it was only enough to make him reel back for a second. The guards were far too afraid of Lieutenant Wei to risk letting her escape now.

And speaking of Wei, here he came across the courtyard, his face suffused with a terrifying combination of fury and triumph. He did not stop as he came close; he only came to a halt when his face was mere inches from Suki. She could feel his breath, and fought the urge to retch. He was ten times more repulsive up close.

"So," he said, and somehow the one word was more deadly than if he had gone into a screaming fit. "You thought you'd trick me so you could send a message outside? Stupid, foolish girl. This prison is impenetrable. It is resistant to fire, blasting jelly, water, and wind. It is built on a solid steel foundation so no earthbender can manipulate it. The walls are more than three feet thick, so nothing can break though. You actually believed anyone you called here would be doing anything more than running headlong into their own death?" He stopped, and then grinned horribly. "Well, that little bit of information should brighten the rest of your days. Perhaps I'll get you a front row seat when whoever it is comes to get you. It will be entertaining to do something active around here for a change." His glare returned. "But I do need to know. Who did you contact? You know it won't make any difference if you tell me."

Suki shut her mouth stubbornly. She had almost been anticipating this. She had heard tales of brave captured warriors and of torture. But she had already sworn to herself that she would keep silent. For Sokka.

Wei recognized the determined gleam in her eye. He had seen it before. But rarely had he ever seen it stay there after his treatment. With the same indifferent deliberation with which he had kicked her, Wei slapped her across the face.

Suki did not cry out, although her nerves did. She could feel blood rushing to her face to fill the handprint shape across her cheeks. Wei simply watched her, waiting. She stared back, also waiting, but with a challenge in her eyes.

Wei took that unspoken challenge. He struck her again, this time not with the flat of his hand but with his fist. Suki closed her eye in time, but stars exploded across the darkness of her eyelid, and pain throbbed sickeningly through her head. She felt the skin swelling immediately.

Hardly before she'd had time to recover, he hit her again, this time on the cheekbone. Dimly, she heard him ordering the guards to drop her, and she collapsed on her stomach, hoping it was over. She hurt, yes, but she was also full of a slow, boiling hatred. This time his arm came down across her shoulder blades, followed by a swift kick near her ribcage. Wei gave her several more calculated blows, and then hauled her up by the front of her grimy prison rags. He still looked completely composed, his face devoid of all pity. Suki was breathing hard, and she could feel the warm trickles of blood in several places, but her anger overcame the pain. She glared straight back into his face.

And then, with the last of the moisture in her dry mouth, she spit square in his eye.

Wei did not hit her again. He simply pushed her over to the guards, and said calmly, "Take her back to her cell. And double the guards on the wall to watch for anyone she might have written to."

Suki let herself be dragged along, and thrown bodily back into the small cell she was now so familiar with. She dragged herself to the far corner of the room and faced the wall. Her eyes were wet, but she absolutely refused to let the tears spill over. _Besides_, she told herself, _they're tears of anger, not pain_. She stared at the wall, and set herself to memorizing the pattern of the stone. Images of Aang, Katara, and especially Sokka kept intruding, but she had no energy to drive them away. She lay like that as the darkness fell outside. When it became complete, she heard a gentle rapping on the bars. Painfully, she turned over. Yana was standing there, her eyes looking oddly shiny in the dim torches on the walls. In one hand she held a bowl of the traditional prison gruel, but there was an odd bulge in the pocket of her red and black uniform.

As Suki pulled herself over, the woman bent down and passed her the food. And then something else. With a whispered but heartfelt, "I'm so sorry", Yana handed her a wad of wet linen rags. They also smelled faintly bitter. Suki pressed one to her eye and felt the familiar sting of a cleansing herb solution. The wet cloth was cool and soothing. She moved it from her eye to the cut on her back. Overcome by the guard's kindness she simply smiled at Yana, and was given a tremulous one in return.

Suddenly, in the face of this small gesture, she felt she simply couldn't stay quiet. And something in her trusted Yana. So, quickly, she seized the bars and pulled herself forward, close to the woman. Quietly, she breathed, "He's coming. I sent him a letter."

Yana's eyes widened. And then the corners of her mouth turned up in a gentle smile. But it was one of happiness, not pity. And Suki realized that Yana actually believed her. She didn't scoff at the idea, she didn't tell Suki in that superior way that, "_Of course_ he's coming," as if she were a child.

"I hope so, dear. I really hope so, for you."

Suki felt her pain lessen at Yana's warm whisper. She knew she was incredibly lucky to have someone like Yana as a sort-of-friend here. And incredibly lucky to have someone like Sokka out there.

"Why are you so kind to me?" Suki asked the question on impulse; it had been nagging at her for a while.

Yana sighed, and then said, "You have something. A spark, a spirit. You don't know how long it's been since I've seen someone with your will to be strong. Every chance time someone like you comes in here, I try to help them as best I can."

"Why? Isn't that the opposite of your job? I'm an enemy of the Fire Nation, your Nation."

"Dear, I'm old enough and smart enough to see through all that propaganda. It's one of the reasons I'm here. Don't you know how they recruit guards? They take people, unwanted sons, widowed mothers, lone fathers. They don't give you a choice. But obviously when people start seeing that all this talk of 'enemies' is foolish, you become a prime choice for a prison guard. We're prisoners too, dear. True, we have a bit more freedom and a bit better treatment, but not much."

Suki thought about that. She remembered the bored guards and the gossiping trainees. Had all of them no choice but to be here? _Except Wei_, she thought. _He definitely chose to be here, I can see it in his eyes._

Yana looked around once more, and then said, in the barest whisper, "If you need anything when the time comes, ask me. It would give me such happiness to see you escape. In fact, you already made my day today. Spitting in the Lieutenant's eye." The older woman winked. Then, nonchalantly, she moved away.

Secure in the knowledge that she had an ally, and that her message was on its way, she curled up and managed to fall asleep.

Hawky did a wobbly barrel-roll, screeching. The crow-bat that was diving at him swooped around, cackling and snapping at his wing. The messenger hawk curled his talons tighter around his precious burden and poured on the speed. The crafty crow-bat came after him, pecking mercilessly at his back and head. Hawky forced his tired wings to keep beating, trying to dodge the attacker's blows. But he didn't know how long he could keep this up. Suddenly, the crow-bat threw itself at his back, and he lurched in midair. His talons loosened, and he felt the roll of parchment start to slip. Tenaciously, he grabbed it before it fell out of his grasp, but he was on a downward tilt, and too tired to right himself. The crow-bat croaked in malicious triumph.

A jagged, well-aimed chunk of stone struck it square in the chest, hurling it backwards and down as it screeched in terror. Hawky swiveled his head, looking for the source of this new attacker. He spotted a smear of bright green on the ground, and suddenly felt new strength in his wings. It was the girl, the one dressed in green, who traveled with his master and moved stones without touching them. She had saved him!

Now Hawky could see the other colored shapes of the camp: His master and his nestmate, the other girl who wore blue and moved water. And the boy with the blue markings on his head, and the enormous white furry creature who made a convenient perch sometimes.

With a whistling squawk of triumph at his completed journey, Hawky swooped into the midst of the camp and landed proudly on his master's shoulder. Then his gave him the customary bite, this time on his ear.

Sokka yelped at the bite, and then reached up to take the message. He realized that the message tube was gone…but there was a paper in his hawk's claws. Gently, he worked it free, muttering absentminded praise to the bird. But his heart was roaring his chest. A reply. And who would have sent a reply but—

Sokka unrolled the message, and for a moment simply stared at the grimy marks written there. Then, with a very powerful feeling he couldn't even begin to name swelling in his chest, he turned around.

"Aang," he said slowly. "Get Appa ready. Now."

Something in his tone of voice stopped any objections. Without a word, Toph and Katara began to break camp, and Aang began throwing supplies into Appa's broad saddle. Sokka stood there stroking Hawky and clutching the letter, its three short lines reverberating endlessly in his mind.

**A/N: You may all join me in booing Wei. Don't worry, there are things in store for him...And thank you all for your reviews. I've gotten some really nice ones!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Remember, I don't own them, I just own some of the plotline, Yana, and nasty old Wei. :P Now, Sokka is on the warpath...**

Chapter 6

"Sokka, you're going to fall off."

Sokka paid Katara no attention, and kept leaning far out over the side of Appa's saddle, scanning the ground far below. Suki's message was tucked in his belt; he hadn't let it out of his reach.

"Sokka!" Aang called back over the rush of wind as they flew, "Where exactly is this place again?"

Sokka answered without moving, "Ash Bay." He had memorized the words; they were burned into his mind. Every time he closed his eyes, or even blinked, he could see the words, _I am in Ash Bay Prison on the coast._

So were the other words of course. He couldn't help seeing those as well. Those were the ones he had to keep checking on the parchment, reassuring himself that they actually existed.

_I am alive. _And, _I love you._

Especially the second.

"Well, if we want to get there, you'd better look at the map and tell Aang where he's going. You're the map guy, remember? You always say I'm hopeless with maps, Aang's steering, and Toph…well, Toph's not good with maps either." Katara shot Toph a sidelong look. Toph rolled her clouded eyes good-naturedly.

"Guys, I do know I'm blind. It isn't exactly a big secret."

Katara pressed the map of the Fire Nation firmly but gently into Sokka's hands. She had never seen such a brooding, fierce look on her brother's face, and it worried her. If Appa's saddle had been big enough, she knew he would have started pacing by now. He needed something to do.

Sokka saw through Katara's plan easily. He knew she could easily have found Ash Bay; she wasn't that bad of a map reader. But he sat down on Appa's broad back and unrolled the map with a soft sigh.

His finger traced the coastline absently, moving over the jagged peaks and inlets that pocketed the edge of the great island landmass that was the Fire Nation.

Finally, he found it, a tiny, rocky bay with its entrance almost closed by tall cliffs. It had Ash Bay written in tiny black letters next to it. Up on the top of the cliffs, a tiny gray box was marked in. His heart beat faster as he realized it probably denoted the prison. He noted the bay's position and then called up to Aang, "Keep Appa flying south, and then we'll turn west." Aang nodded to show he'd heard, and then slapped the reins gently against the sky bison's head to encourage him faster. Appa responded with a thrust of his tail, putting on a surge of speed. Sokka felt a rush of gratitude for the young Avatar. Aang understood how important this was to him. And so did the others; they had come without question when he'd decided to leave.

Having determined their course, Sokka settled himself cross-legged and unbuckled the sheath at his waist. With a gentle, almost reverent movement, he drew his sword smoothly from its sheath.

It was a soft black-gray, the blade gleaming in the sunlight. The hilt was simple and unornamented, the metal sleek and the edge wickedly sharp. A true star sword, forged by his own sweat and strength from the center of a fallen star. He reached into his pocket and came out with a small, round stone he'd picked up for just this purpose. He set the sword across his knees and ran the stone down the edge. Chills shivered down his spine at the soft, rustling sound that the stone made against the metal. The sound of preparation. The sound of impending battle. The sound that meant he was on his way to set Suki free. With a grim smile, he sharpened the sword again.

Suki lay in a familiar positing, slumped against the bars, waiting. Finally, the sound she had been waiting for came, the sound of Yana's distinctive footsteps. The woman had promised her earlier that she would come if there was any interesting news. Now the guard drew alongside her cell, and as she passed, she gave Suki a secret, beaming smile. And she said quietly, "A passing traveler today heard tell of a flying creature in the skies nearby. If that means anything to you?"

Suki could not tell her how much it did. She felt a sudden glow of happiness. And not just because it meant they might be close. But because her capture had not been in vain. She had successfully saved Appa, and he must have found his way back to Aang. The knowledge gave her an irrational feeling of peace. Yana interrupted her thoughts.

"Dear, do you have any…weapons?" she whispered the last word.

Suki's eyes opened wide. Her hand tingled with the very thought of having her trademark Kyoshi fans back in them. Or even her katana, which was mostly a backup weapon.

"Yes," she breathed back. "Two green fans, and a long sword."

"I can't make any guarantees, but I can certainly try…" Yana trailed off. For the first time, the idea began to truly come home for Suki that she might be close to escaping. A bubble of hope swelled in her, and did not deflate.

"This is perfect, Aang."

Appa shifted his six legs on the broad rock ledge jutting out from the side of the enormous cliff that edged Ash Bay. It couldn't be seen except from the ocean, or if someone looked straight down the cliff face. Aang slid off Appa's head as the rest of them dismounted. They had taken Appa around the jail in a wide circle, so the prison guards hadn't spotted a thing.

"Sooo," said Toph, putting her hand flat against the cliff, "How are we gonna get up there? I can feel the prison, and the people…a lot of people. The guards have purposeful steps…and there a bunch of them. It's all metal…do you just want me to peel a wall open or something?"

"I want to avoid an all-out attack," Sokka said, "Who knows what weapons they have up there? You guys could get hurt. _We're _not going up, _I_ am. I'll come from behind, and you guys can come on Appa once they're distracted."

Toph opened her mouth to argue, and then sensed the iron purpose radiating from Sokka. He had to do this, alone.

"Okay then, how are you gonna get up there?"

"The old-fashioned way," Sokka said with a certain amount of pride. He turned to the others. "Thanks for helping me with this, guys. It…means a lot."

Katara put a hand on his shoulder. "Good luck," she said softly, as Aang and Toph nodded earnestly in agreement. Sokka gave her a slight smile, and then drew the meteorite sword. It gleamed softly, waiting. Sokka put it firmly between his teeth, tasting the harsh metallic tang on his tongue. Then he reached out and hoisted himself up against the cliff face, finding hand and foot holds in the rock. He turned his head as much as he was able.

"Howr dos I lhok?" Sokka said around the sword.

Katara had to smile. "Like a pirate getting ready for a raid."

Sokka turned back to the cliff, and reached high for another handhold, keeping his gaze firmly on the edge of the cliff. Somewhere up there, Suki was waiting for him. He remembered the message still tucked in his belt, its words beating in his mind.

_I love you._

I'm coming Suki. I'm coming.


	7. Chapter 7

**Don't own them, wish I did. You know the drill. We're coming into the home stretch of this story, it has 10 chapters just so you know.**

* * *

Chapter 7

Xin leaned his hands against the wall and sighed heavily. He was a fairly young guard, assigned to watch duty on the edges of the walls. Apparently they were to be watching for some huge oncoming force on its way to rescue one of the prisoners. Xin snorted. What single prisoner here was worth rescuing? It was probably all just a test made up by that sadistic Lieutenant Wei. He was hot, bored, and tired of standing up here on this Agni-forsaken wall looking out at nothing. His hands balled up into fists as he thought about unlikely and painful ways to get back at Wei. He was just beginning to drift off into a pleasant daydream in which he was chasing Wei around the courtyard shooting fireballs at his feet, when he heard the sound.

It lasted only a split second, and he had only a brief moment to wonder what it was. One second, he was turning in confusion to locate the source of the soft whistling hum behind him. The next second, he was aware of a shooting, starburst pain in his head, and then blackness.

Carefully, Sokka tugged the unconscious man to the side of the stone wall and leaned him casually against it. It would look perhaps as if he had just fallen asleep against the wall. Except for the swelling purple bruise on his head that had been caused when the metal sword hilt had struck it. But Sokka couldn't help that now. He slunk quietly around the side of the wall walk, watching carefully for more guards. If one of them raised the alarm, he might have to kill to escape. He gulped hard, looking at the gleaming blade in his hand. He wasn't sure if he was ready to get its black surface wet with blood. His master, Piandao, had prepared him for it of course, but his stomach still turned over at the thought of sinking the meteorite sword into an actual human being.

Luckily, there were no more guards on the wall. Sokka had unknowingly chosen the time when the guards rotated shift to approach the prison, leaving it virtually unguarded for a few minutes.

Circling the main tower, Sokka found the stone steps that led down into the heart of the prison, and then into the courtyard. He could see the courtyard from above, a huge square area hemmed in on four sides by stone walls. It was very open, probably a good battlefield. And he could utilize the same techniques he'd learned from Master Piandao, about using walls and such as leverage for sword attacks. And if for some reason the meteorite sword failed, there was always his trusty boomerang as a backup.

He could hear guards' voices trickling up from below. Sokka tightened his sweating hands on the sword hilt and set his jaw. Suki needed him. Suki was down there, less than a hundred yards from him. He would see her again. He set off down the stairs.

"Dear. Wake up!"

There was a soft rattling of Suki's bars, and she jerked into wakefulness. Yana stood there, looking tired, but triumphant. Lying on the floor of Suki's cell was a small heap of things. A folded uniform, green with gold stitching, a sheathed weapon, and two folded green fans.

Suki clamped her mouth shut to keep from involuntarily crying out with sheer joy. As it was, tears came to her eyes with happiness at seeing the familiar objects that she had believed lost to her forever. She looked questioningly at the guard, and the woman nodded to say the coast was clear. Suki scrambled forward on all fours, for the first time not even feeling the lingering sting of her wounds. She ran her hands reverently over the cloth of her Kyoshi Warrior uniform, stroked her katana, and snapped the fans open, reveling in the clean clicking sound as they unfolded. Yana was watching with almost as much happiness; the sight of the young warrior reunited with her treasured possessions touched her. And what gave her even more joy was that she had one more thing to give Suki. Something that would mean more even than the return of her weapons.

There was a soft, metallic clink. Suki looked up in surprise, and felt her heart skip a beat altogether.

There was a set of heavy iron keys lying on the floor of her cell.

She looked up at Yana with a stunned, almost pleading question in her eyes. The woman beamed, tears beading in her eyes, and nodded.

"It's time."

"But…Wei will hurt you. You'll be punished terribly for doing this. Isn't it like treason…or fraternizing with the enemy?" Suki felt so many emotions crashing together. Right in front of her was the ticket to escape.

Yana shook her head, looking almost unconcerned. "My son was a firebender. Before they took him off to war, he taught me a few stances, though I'm no bender myself. I can hold my own for a bit. And if I plead, there may be enough other guards who will protest to seeing a poor, helpless old woman hurt." Yana winked. "Whatever that old pile of wolfbat droppings does to me, it will be worth it to see you escape."

Suki felt a rush of awe at Yana's determination and bravery. She was a warrior, perhaps of a different kind.

"Hurry now, or it'll be too late."

Suki lunged for the keys and slammed the largest one into the lock. With a heavy clunk, it turned, and the door to the cell creaked open. It was the most beautiful sound Suki had ever heard. The sound of freedom. She snatched up her uniform and yanked it haphazardly over her head, then thrust her katana into the belt and the fans up her sleeves. She rushed out of the cell, feeling the pounding of adrenaline beginning in her veins. She was free, and clothed once more in the garb of a true Kyoshi Warrior. She looked up and down at the other prisoners, either sleeping or too defeated to bother looking at their surroundings any longer. _I'll find a way to come back for them,_ she promised herself.

Then something occurred to her, and she turned back to Yana. "Where are the other guards?" she asked.

Yana shrugged, but a smile spread over her face. "I don't know for sure. But I do believe they found someone unconscious on the walltop. And I could have sworn I saw someone with a long, black sword turning a corner into the courtyard a few minutes ago."

Suki's heart did not merely skip a beat. It stopped altogether for a few seconds.

_Sokka._

Yana just kept smiling that soft, knowing smile. "Go on, dear. I believe he's waiting for you. I hope you know how lucky you are."

It was a rhetorical question, and Suki didn't think she could ever tell the kind guard exactly how lucky she knew she was. Or how she could ever thank her. So she just tried to put all her gratitude into one last look, and then drew her fans and raced down the corridor.

Sokka twisted and slashed sideways, driving back a guard who was swinging aimlessly at him with heavy club. The man reeled away from the humming blade, and Sokka ducked a fireblast from the side that nearly singed his warrior's wolftail. There was only one thought in his mind. _I have to find Suki's cell._ He was slowly working his way through the prison corridors, toward the main body of cells. He could see the iron bars ahead of him, and knew he was getting so close. The light at the end of the tunnel. He leaped skillfully over a clumsy guard who dove at his feet, and seized his chance. He pounded down the hallway, erupted out into the main chamber. Heads came up at his skidding, panting entrance. Prisoners stared in total bewilderment as the young man with the sword looked wildly around the dungeon, his eyes searching. And then he stopped dead.

There was a heavy iron door swinging ajar, the keys still hanging from the lock. Sokka did not even need to wonder whose cell it was.

He let his arms fall limp to his sides as a rush of fear and bitter disappointment filled his stomach.

_He was too late. She was already gone._

**A/N: Don't kill me for the cliffhanger, please. The next chapter will satisfy all your curiosity, promise. It's my personal favorite. ;)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Still don't own them...darn. ;)**

**A/N: I'm sure this is the chapter you've all been waiting for, so I hope you enjoy it. This was probably my personal favorite to write. The finale is also coming really soon...crosses fingers for some Sukka **

Chapter 8

Terrible thoughts flashed through Sokka's mind. Had some guards beaten him here and taken Suki away so he would have no hope of saving her? Had she, by some miracle, escaped alone and was now running aimlessly out there alone?

With a snarl of pent-up frustration and sorrow, he whirled around and charged back down the corridor. The thought briefly crossed his mind to set the prisoners free, but they would be in more danger out of their cells than in, especially since all of them seemed pitifully weak.

Any guard who had a thought to stop the young man hurtling down the hallway wisely rethought his choice and leaped out of the way. Sokka was not about to be stopped.

He exploded back into the courtyard, right into the center of the chaos that was there now. Apparently almost every guard in the prison had been alerted to the intruder, and they had all congregated in the courtyard. Now Sokka faced a wall of red clothed men and women, all looking intent on stopping him cold. He raised the sword, ready to show them he meant business too, though they far outnumbered him.

Suddenly, there was a mighty CLANG, and the wall trembled. Another booming crash, and then an explosion of rock, dust, and mortar came showering over them all. The next second a colossal roar shook the air, and the towering figure of Appa burst through the choking cloud. With a wordless yell, the green-clad shape of Toph fairly hurled herself into the midst of the astounded guards, while a whirling ball of condensed wind and a snakelike whip of blue denoted Aang and Katara.

It took Sokka a few seconds to get over the unexpected appearance of his friends, and to wipe the clinging rock dust out of his eyes. But Appa's spectacular entrance had bought him some time.

But not much. Sokka just managed to bring the sword up in time to block a guard's spear. And then he was lost in the fighting, hardly able to see his friends. Only Appa's bulk stood out among the milling fighters. He ducked and dodged around sword swipes, spear thrusts, club swings, and bursts of fire. Every skill Piandao had taught him he brought into play. It tested his skill to the breaking point, but his fear and anger over Suki lent him a little extra power. He held back from severely wounding anyone, but that became harder when it was apparent that none of the guards had any such ideas. They were aiming to kill him, not capture him. He was tired and running out of patience.

So when someone knocked hard against his back, he growled, grabbed the sword hilt with both hands, and swung around, the sword cleaving the air in a powerful swipe.

Suki was contorting her body in ways she had not known it could move in order to dodge blows. The guards grabbed at her clothes, her arms, anything to bring her down. But her hands were swift and sure, and guard after guard fell to stinging jabs from her expertly wielded fans. Far from being afraid, she felt exhilarated. Having her weapons, being free, able to punish the people who had held her here for so long…it was all she had asked for.

Almost.

And that was when her back came up against someone with a jarring bump, and she whirled around, fans splayed to strike the one who had been unfortunate enough to get too close.

Sokka's insides froze solid in total shock. With a furious effort, he halted his sword swing in midair, leaving it stopped dead in an almost comical way, inches from the face of the startled girl in green uniform who was staring at him with warm brown eyes as if he'd returned from the dead.

Suki tightened her hands on her fans and swerved them at the last moment, leaving them hanging suspended from her hands right in front of the face that had haunted her daydreams for weeks. She stared back at those dark blue eyes, stretched wide in amazement. Her mind hardly registered the sleek black sword that had halted inches from her face. There was only…_him._

Finally.

Disregarding the battle completely, Suki let her fans fall limp to her sides, and Sokka let his sword drop as well, as if his arms had turned to liquid. Unknown to them, Toph, Katara, and Aang closed in around them, keeping the guards back. Katara had seen the looks on their faces, and she knew that unless she, Aang and Toph took the brunt of the attack for a while, her brother and Suki would surely be captured. They were oblivious to everything but each other right then.

Sokka couldn't believe it. He had come here prepared to rescue Suki, of course, but the last thing he had ever expected was to turn around and come face to face with her. He had envisioned a heroic entrance, as he boldly sliced the iron bars of her cell to bits with his sword. Then a romantic speech declaring his undying love as he held her in his arms. Not a meeting in the midst of chaos. Because he had never really rehearsed what he was going to say, so now he stood with his mouth hanging open, gazing at the young woman he had come to rescue like an idiot.

But he had to say _something._

"Suki…I…you…here…I tried to…you weren't…"

Suki had dropped her stunned look quickly. Now she was appraising Sokka with an entirely new expression, one of growing joy and…amusement. A spark kindled deep in her eyes as she watched Sokka talking, his words running together in his confusion. And she suddenly remembered the almost-last words he had spoken to her that day they had parted…

"Your letter…I thought…I am _so_ sorry…I just…it was…we…so can you ever…_mmpf!_"

In one swift movement, Suki dropped her fans, seized Sokka by the front of his shirt and kissed him.

It was not anything like _her_ fantasy either. It was much better. She released him briefly, looking deep into his dazed blue eyes. She almost wanted to laugh at his expression.

"You," she said softly, with a grin in her voice, "talk too much."

And she kissed him again. She dimly heard the clank of his sword as he dropped it, and felt the strength in his arms as they wrapped around her. She had imagined this embrace countless times, imagined being held again like this. She lifted her own arms and settled them around his powerful shoulders, hugging him closer, making absolutely sure he was solid and real. She had to make sure it wasn't a dream, because it still felt too much like one. It felt like the absolute best kind of déjà vu. It felt amazing.

It felt like freedom.

**I always loved the idea of Suki reflecting Sokka's line from the Serpent's Pass back at him when they reunited...so that's where that came from. Like always, please REVIEW! :)**


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